The present invention relates to a chip card reader, in particular to a chip card reader comprising a housing according to a PCMCIA format, the housing including a base plate and a cover plate extending between a plug-in socket and an insertion slot for a chip card.
Chip card readers of this kind are known from the prior art, for example from EP 0 735 507 A3. They are used as interfaces between a host device like a computer or a set-top-box and a chip card. Chip card readers are used in a large variety of applications and, accordingly, there is a high demand for low-priced but reliable chip card readers in the electronic market. Common chip card reader designs feature housings which are made of sheet metal, mainly for the sake of sufficient mechanical stability and temperature resistance.